Wallet
by scriptblossom
Summary: After someone brushes by her and drops his wallet on the ground, Sakura picks it up and is surprised to find her picture inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Wallet  
** by Diana-san

* * *

It happened in a blur. One moment this guy brushed by her and the next moment, he was gone in a flash. She would have thought nothing of it. It was crowded in the coffeehouse that evening as everyone was getting their second or third cup of coffee for a night of all-night studying. Geared in the middle of finals week, tensions were high as students were jittery and lamenting over either failed exams or soon to be failed exams.

It was especially nerve-wracking for a third of the student population on campus since tomorrow was the day of the biology and chemistry finals, which can determine whether the student will be able to move up to the next course in the series.

Sakura whirled around to only catch a glimpse of the boy exiting the coffee shop. Dressed in layers for the cold winter quarter, the faux lining of his navy blue hooded jacket only covered up part of the back of his head as Sakura saw that he had a distinct hairstyle. Ebony black hair spiked up high, the view was a familiar sight to her but she couldn't quite place her finger on it.

She must have stood there in a trance-like state because it was only when her friend called her name out, that she snapped out of her daydream. Taking a step back, she felt something against the bottom of her foot. She looked down and was surprised to find a small black wallet near her foot. Bending down, she picked it up and brushed it clean with her hands.

Crouched in the middle of the coffee shop, she must have looked strange as she flipped the wallet back and forth in her hands. She moved to the corner as she ignored the questioning stares from her friends at a couch by the wall. Sakura opened up the wallet to find that there was not much inside. There was a few crisp bills in the money pocket fold and two cards in the card slots. She slid out the first card and saw that it was a credit card with the name Uchiha Sasuke. The name didn't ring a bell. Putting it away, she pulled out the second card as she saw that it was his driver's license. The great thing about a driver's license was the photo for identification.

The name in question finally had a face to it. The face belonged to a very attractive young man with ebony black hair spiked up. The same guy who just bumped into her earlier and left the coffee house. She quickly ran out of the coffee house as she looked both ways in wonder of which direction he turned. The streets were empty as many were inside cafes or stores to keep out of the wintry cold.

Disappointed, she headed back inside the coffee shop. She glanced at the photo again and she could swear that he looked familiar to her. It was after five minutes of staring that it clicked in her brain. She did see him before. He was in her class two years ago in a freshman seminar. She had always walked past him as he sat two rows ahead of her. Since no one was sitting in the row between them, Sakura had always had a clear view of the back of his head.

Placing the license back in its original pocket, she figured she would contact him through Facebook or some sort to message him about finding his lost wallet. That should be the end of it and she should have no more reason to continue searching through his wallet. But the curiosity gnawed at her as she traced the outer edge of the wallet's leather feel.

It wasn't that she was a prying person and would go through everything inside a stranger's wallet. She just had a gut instinct or feeling about this guy in particular. As if the two of them were connected through something more than just a chance meeting of a missing wallet or sharing a freshman seminar class once upon a time ago. She couldn't really place her finger on what or why she had this feeling. It was just an instinct that had no known explanation. But her heart pounded nevertheless as she flipped the wallet back open and dug through the two inner pockets. The first pocket was empty. The second had a bit more luck as her fingers felt the edge of an object.

She pulled it out part way before hesitating and questioning whether she should be doing this. She would hate it if someone found her wallet and went through her stuff. But then again, she would be upset regardless for having lost her wallet. Plus, he would never know. Still didn't justify how morally wrong it felt but she was already too far in to care now.

They were photographs. Wallet-sized photographs neatly tucked into the wallet to be kept hidden. It was strange since most people would prefer to put pictures where it is easily seen. At least, that was how Sakura thought most people would prefer to do. There were three photographs and the first was easy to distinguish. It was a family photo and Sasuke was easily pointed out with his hairstyle never changing from childhood. He looked to be about eight years old or so and was standing besides his father and mother. To the right of him looked to be an older brother as they shared the same facial features with the only difference being that the brother had a distinct tear troughs underneath his eyes. That and he was a head taller than Sasuke and had his hair tied up in a neat low ponytail.

She placed the first photo underneath the stack as she came across the second photo. It was a photo of an older Sasuke standing next to another boy. She recognized the other boy. He was in her class currently and his name was Naruto. A really loud and energetic guy, he always spoke up in class and made the other kids laugh. She smiled as she looked down at the photo. The photo must have been taken not too long ago because they looked to be around sixteen. Naruto was smiling brightly with his arm slung around Sasuke in a casual pose but Sasuke had a disgruntled expression on his face and his arms folded against his chest. It seemed to Sakura that Sasuke was not exactly the type to like taking self-portraits.

As she placed the second photo underneath, she noticed that the last photo was turned over with its back facing up. Her clumsy fingers fumbled a bit to turn the photo around and she only ended up dropping the entire stack on the floor.

Embarrassed, she glanced around to see if anyone noticed her being a klutz in the corner. No one did or if they did, they pretended to have not noticed. Sakura stooped low as she bent down to pick up the photos. After picking up the first two, her fingers barely grazed the last as she stared wide-eyed at the photo. The picture was facing up now towards her so she could clearly see the subject of the picture. It was a picture of her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wallet**  
by Diana-san

* * *

Sakura paced back and forth as she contemplated on what to do about this new piece of information in her hand. She bit her lower lip and then she bit her nail as she racked her head for an answer. She would have to return the wallet to him and it would have to be face to face. Of course, she could avoid him entirely and let a friend return it in her place.

But that was not the thing that was bothering her right now. It was the fact that this guy, a stranger to her practically, was carrying a photo of her around in his wallet. She should be freaked out and she was but she wasn't scared which she should have been. It was strange indeed. Even stranger than him having a photo of her.

Sakura sat down in the seat closest to her and the people sitting on the opposite side of the table glanced at her with raised eyebrows. She ignored them as she sighed and opened the wallet again to look at the picture of her again.

She wondered how he got that photo of her. It was a photo she had taken during freshman year and she didn't even post it online or anything. Even she didn't have a copy of it. It was a picture of her during her first day of college orientation. Her father had insisted on a photo and she reluctantly agreed to pose in front of the main campus sign and do the standard cheesy pose. She remembered taking her parent's camera and getting the film developed at the campus store since her parents were the old fashioned type and didn't care for digital photos.

If her mom and dad were the only one to get the original copy, how did Sasuke end up getting a copy of the same photo? That thought was even more perplexing. She took out his driver's license as she stared at his ID photo. Twirling the card in her hand, she absent-mindedly thought of what she should do next.

Was he a stalker? An admirer? A creep? A fan of hers? Maybe he wanted to plot revenge on her or kill her in her sleep. Sakura wondered if she was watching too many soap operas on television. The thoughts cluttered in her mind and made her feel more anxious and aggravated with each passing moment.

She decided that maybe it was best to let a friend return it to him in in her place. Sakura couldn't face the awkwardness of handing it to him with the knowledge that she knew what was inside the wallet. Granted, he wouldn't know that she knew. But she was never good at deceiving others and her face would probably reveal everything the moment he saw her.

The moment he saw her… she wondered what he did think of her when he saw her. He had probably saw her at the coffee house earlier. Was that why he left in such a rush? Was that why he bumped into her? Perhaps, it wasn't an accident as she had thought.

Sakura groaned as she pulled at her hair in frustration. The two students who were sitting across from her glanced at her as they picked up their books and moved to another table. Sakura blew a piece of hair away from her face as she grumbled to herself. She was perfectly happy and content just a half hour ago and now she was driving herself positively insane with the wandering thoughts of who, what, where, when, and why. She wished that a higher power would just drop the answer at her door and tell her what her next move should be.

At the moment, the bell above the coffee shop door chimed as the door opened as someone stepped inside. Sakura was paying no attention to it as she was still slumped in her chair with a dumbstruck expression on her face as she stared at the wallet in her hand that was being clutched to death.

"That's mine."

Sakura glanced up in surprise at the sound of the voice. It was a deep soothing voice that one could probably listen to all day. Her eyes met with his and she suddenly wished she didn't make that prayer two minutes ago for an answer as to what to do. Because fate would have it and brought her Sasuke himself at her table. He said nothing more as he pointed to the wallet in her hand. Slightly flustered by his sudden appearance, she offered it up to him as her eyes stared in wide-eyed at the possibility that he had actually returned to the coffee shop.

It was in the moment of exchange when his fingers slightly grazed upon hers that she moved her hands back as she continued to keep a firm hold on the wallet. She knew it was his wallet but how did he know that she had his. That was the question of the day. "How do you know this is yours?" she blurted out. He glanced at her with a slight confusion before reaching for the wallet and lifting it from her grasp. He turned it over so that she could see as he pointed to the lower right hand corner of the wallet.

"My family crest," he stated matter-of-factly and sure enough, Sakura could see that there indeed was something on the back of the wallet. A small red and white fan was stitched to the corner and she couldn't believe she had missed it the first time. She had been holding it by the corners the whole time so her thumb must have covered it.

"Oh," was all that she could say in response to that. He nodded as he thanked her and turned to leave. Sakura was at a loss for words. Somehow, this was a lot different from what she had imagined. He had barely any reaction to her despite the fact that he had a picture of _her_ face in his wallet.

Without thinking, she called out to him the moment he was a step away from opening the door to leave. "Wait!" she shouted as she stood up.

He stopped as he paused for a moment before turning to glance back at her. His dark obsidian eyes bore into hers and for a minute there, she was too stunned to say anything. She couldn't read what he was thinking behind those dark eyes of his but for a moment, she could feel a slight connection as if she had fell into a new world in the depths of his eyes. It was haunting how drawn in she felt to him despite only really realizing who he was just today, if not just only an hour ago.

"Yes?" he asked as he turned fully around to face her again.

She wanted to ask him about her photo. Desperate almost. But asking him about it would be admitting to snooping through his wallet. It felt like a lose-lose situation if she did ask. But it was going to bug her tonight and the rest of finals week and probably the rest of her life if she didn't ask or find out somehow. Still, she couldn't just go ahead and ask him right then and there. Or could she?

Her mouth felt dry as she fumbled for the right words to form a coherent sentence in beginning the conversation. She came up with nothing except for the feeling of clammy hands and sweat trembling at the back of her neck as she gulped down the nervousness that contained in her fast, beating heart. Why should she be so nervous? Shouldn't it be him who should be nervous for being caught? Honestly, she wished she never knew. He seemed unfazed by her standing there and gaping at him with her large, guppy eyes.

"Never mind," she muttered in defeat when the words failed to come to her. He nodded once more as he turned to leave again.

"W-wait!" she called out once more. "S-shouldn't you check to see if everything is in your wallet?" she asked him.

Sasuke turned back around. "Don't worry. I trust you."

Sakura grew impatient. "No, but you should still check. I don't want you to go back home and find out later that something in your wallet was missing and then blame it on me!" It was a lame excuse to get him to stay just a bit longer but it somehow had worked as he glanced at her curiously before taking his wallet back out from his pocket.

He opened it up as he took out the bills inside and gave it a quick glance. "Everything is here," he murmured as he held it out to give Sakura a glance inside too as if that would ease her worries. He closed the wallet again and moved to put it away once more.

"What about the inner pockets? Shouldn't you check those too?" she blurted out. Great, she might as well just have admitted it to him that she snooped through his wallet. How blatantly obvious was that?

He eyed her but something must have clicked in his mind as he hesitantly opened up the wallet again. This time, he shielded it partly away from gaze so that she couldn't see the inside contents of it anymore. He slipped his finger through the inner pocket of the wallet as he pulled out three photos. Relieved to see them all there, he was just about to put it back inside again when his hand paused in the action. He lifted up the photos in his hand as his other hand holding the wallet fell to his side. All three photos were facing up towards his side and his eyes furrowed at the last photo. The last photo that should have been faced down.

Sakura glanced at him curiously as she wondered what he was doing and stunned by how boldly he had pulled the photos out into the air. It was when she saw the white backs of the photos that she realized her mistake and his realization at her mistake. She had forgot to put the photo of her flipped around to the backside like the way she had found it originally. She cursed loudly in her head as she gaped at him and tried to find the words to explain.

Turns out, she didn't really have to explain. It was he who started to turn slightly red in the face as he shoved the photos into the inside pocket of his coat. He cleared his throat loudly in an attempt to disguise the awkwardness that had now settled in the air between the two of them. Both of them remained silent as they both glanced awkwardly at the floor before somehow bravely looking at each other.

She had snooped through his wallet but he had a picture of her inside that wallet. Sakura wasn't sure which action was more embarrassing to be caught doing but after a moment more of silence, she was sure that his was definitely way more embarrassing. She decided to clear the air and be the first to speak. If she didn't, he probably would never will.

"That picture of me…" she began. His eyes met with hers as her words made the sudden realization become more of a reality to him. "How did you get it? There was supposed to be only one copy… at least… so I thought."

He seemed embarrassed already as he scratched the side of his chin and his cheeks flushed a little red. "I worked at the student campus store freshman year," he mumbled. "You came to us to get your photos developed and… the last photo from your film was developed twice by accident."

Sasuke cleared his throat as he continued on. "Normally, store policy is to throw away any accidental duplicates but it just seemed a waste to throw out a perfectly nice photo…" His cheeks seemed to have turned an even brighter red. "I thought I would have a chance to return it to you if I got the chance and when we ended up being in the same seminar class, I… chickened out."

Sakura listened in disbelief to his story. As it remained silent after his last words, he glanced at her for some sort of reaction. She bursted out into laughter. "Oh thank god! At least you're not a stalker. I think…" she giggled.

He muttered something under his breath as his flushed cheeks dialed back down a bit in color. "Well, I better be going," he mumbled, clearly ready to leave his embarrassing story behind.

"Wait!" Sakura called out. He turned to look at her again for the third time that night. "Aren't you… shouldn't you… don't I get a reward for finding your wallet?" she asked him. It sounded like a desperate attempt to keep him there longer and she knew it.

"I… I supposed I could treat you to a coffee or something tomorrow night after the exams," he said in reply, his eyes surprised that she was still talking to him instead of calling the nearest police station on him.

She smiled. "Okay, I'll call you."

"But you don't have my phone number?"

Sakura chuckled. "From your wallet alone, I got your name, your address, your bank credit card, your family members, best friend, and potential female interest. I don't think it would be that hard to find out your phone number."

He seemed caught off-guard by this. "I-I…guess."

She smiled as she took out her phone. "One sec. Smile for me!"

Sasuke seemed taken aback as he watched her take out her phone and point the camera at him. "What are you doing?" he asked in alarm.

"Since you have a picture of me, it's only right that I get a picture of you," she responded as she pressed the camera button to take the picture. She stared at the photo and smiled. Sasuke wasn't smiling but he was looking her way with a stoic face. "Perfect, for now," she mused.

With a smile, she took a step backwards as she waved her hand goodbye towards him. "I'll message you," she said as she turned and ran out of the coffee house. Clutching her phone to her chest, she grinned. She didn't really understand why but somehow, she couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.

* * *

Back inside the coffee shop, Sasuke stared at the swinging door as it came to a full stop. He wasn't sure what just happened but suddenly, his mouth felt dry and he needed water. He went over to a nearby counter and poured himself a small cup of water from a pitcher sitting by the napkins and straws. He held up his wallet as he opened it again to look inside. Taking out the picture of her again, he smiled as he clutched the photograph in his hand and his thoughts brought him back to the day that he saw it for the first time.

* * *

 _"Oh, did the customer who picked up her photos just now leave already?" a silver-haired man asked as he peeked up from underneath the counter.  
_

 _Sasuke nodded as he glanced up from the cash register. "Yeah, I just rang her up about five minutes ago."_

 _Kakashi sighed as he pulled out a photo from the photo bucket underneath the counter. "I'm not sure if this is a duplicate or if it fell out but I guess you should shred it," he said as he handed it to Sasuke._

 _Sasuke took it as he glanced at it. It was a picture of the girl who was just here a moment ago. "Maybe I can see if I can chase her down. She can't be too far from here," he offered._

 _Kakashi shook his head as he pressed a few buttons on the photo printer behind him. "Forget it. Just shred it. It seems to be a duplicate." He smiled as he waved Sasuke back to work. "Man the register. I'll be in the stock room checking on inventory."_

 _Sasuke nodded as Kakashi walked off. With a glance back down at the photo, he slowly walked towards the shredder. A paper sign was still taped over the top of the shredder with the words 'out of order.' With a second glance at the photo, he sighed as he tucked it into his back pocket._

 _The day wore on slowly as it was nearing the afternoon and orientation was already long over. Since it was still summer, there weren't many students on campus to begin with and all the new incoming students and parents who came for orientation had already left. Sasuke yawned as he drummed his fingers against the counter in boredom. He wondered if he should have taken a summer job at a different place but he liked the convenience of being able to work close to campus when school started up._

 _When he went home for the the weekend, he was surprised to see his brother home too. It was rare to see his brother since Itachi was in grad school and would come home only a few times a year. It was nice though as he and Itachi got to spend a quiet weekend at home with mother and father._

 _"Sasuke-kun!" his mother had called out to him, with a sneaky smile on her face as she hid something behind her back. He and his brother were sitting in the living room with the TV on and a game controller in each of their hands as they were about to prepare for another epic showdown of Street Fighter. "I was doing the laundry and I found something interesting in one of your pockets," their mother sang.  
_

 _Sasuke didn't know what his mother was referring to but his mother was always the type to tease him and his brother often. With a flourish, Mikoto whipped out a photograph. The photograph that he had forgotten about and had stuck in his back pocket. Quickly, Sasuke jumped up to tried to grab it from her but she was a lot quicker as she stepped back. Itachi had already gotten up from the couch and ran over to his mother's side as he took it from her hands and laughed as he waved it around in the air._

 _"Looks like my little brother found a girlfriend!" he teased.  
_

 _"She's not my girlfriend!" Sasuke protested.  
_

 _"Oh? Not yet, you mean?" Mikoto teased as her husband walked into the living room to see what all the commotion was about. He picked the photo out of his eldest son's hands. He stared at it for a moment and proceeded to hand it back to Sasuke. "Invite her over sometime for dinner," he grunted as he turned to leave the room again.  
_

 _Sasuke could feel the back of his neck turning a deep red as his ears flushed a hot red. He felt the strong gaze of his mother and brother and he mumbled under his breath and sat back down on the couch. He hid the photo back into the inside pocket of his jacket as he tossed the game controller over to his brother. "Can we just start the game… please?" he begged, hoping the game would be distraction enough from the teasing from his family._

 _Itachi grinned as he sat back down on the couch. "If I win, can I meet her?"_

 _"Fine, whatever. You're going to lose anyways," Sasuke muttered.  
_

* * *

Sasuke smiled. He just remembered another thing from that day. He never did beat Itachi at that game.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wallet**  
by Diana-san

* * *

The phone buzzed in the corner of the bed as it vibrated and the screen lit up to show that one new text message has been received. Sasuke glanced up from his textbook as he stared across the bed at his phone sitting on the bed's edge. Making a slow effort to lean over, he grabbed the phone from its charging area and glanced at the screen. It was probably another text from Naruto again about the exam for tomorrow. If Naruto asked him one more time to describe the Krebs cycle, he will blow a gasket.

It wasn't Naruto though. It was another phone number as no name showed up, just a number he had never seen before. Then again, he wouldn't know if he had seen the number before considering he didn't have a reason to memorize phone numbers anymore. He opened the text and prayed that it wasn't another spam text telling him he won two tickets to a cruise ship.

It wasn't. It was from Sakura.

His breath hitched as he tried to calm his racing heart that had just suddenly started to thump excessively against his chest. His palms felt a little clammy even though he was perfectly fine a moment ago when he was reviewing his notes for his final exam tomorrow.

His eyes swarmed over the words of the text as he tried to process each letter and word in his mind but it was already hard enough to focus. His mind was pounding with just the one thought in his head as it shouted repeatedly out to him. She had actually messaged him as promised.

 _Hey! Told you I'll find out your number. :) I'll be done with my last exam tomorrow by 5. We can meet up at the coffee house at 8? Good luck on your finals!_

He must have stared at the text for about five minutes before snapping out of it and coming to realize that he should probably answer back. His thumb moved over to the text box to type out a message as he pondered over what his response should be. Perhaps a short "okay" would suffice. Or would that sound like he was not interested? He remembered Sai once telling him of an article he read on interpreting certain words such as "I'm fine" and "okay" and how sometimes "I'm fine" doesn't really mean "I'm fine". Sasuke had tuned him out that day but now he wish he hadn't.

He grunted in frustration as he pressed the delete button to backspace and delete the word to start over from the beginning. His fingers danced in the air as he stretched the joints in his hands.

 _How about dinner at 6? I end at 4. We can still use the coffee house as our meeting spot._

Sasuke wondered if asking her out for dinner was too bold of a move. But as his finger questioned on whether to delete or send, a buzz from his phone startled him and he accidentally pressed down on the send button. He stared a bit dumbfounded at what just happened but decided that maybe fate had decided it for him.

Still, he opened up the new incoming text message to see who it was that fate had sent over. It was Naruto.

 _Sakura-chan asked me for your number and I gave it to her. I hope you don't mind. Don't worry! She's not crazy like Karin. I promise!_

Sasuke frowned. He remembered the time when Naruto accidentally gave out his number to Karin. The girl was positively nuts as she called him constantly in trying to plan a date. Eventually, he had enough of the recurrent phone calls and highly repetitive voicemails clogging up his inbox. He had to cancel his number and get a new number just to avoid hearing her high-pitched squeal each time he had accidentally answered her call during an incoming call on the other line.

That being said, Sasuke didn't speak to Naruto for a month. He was fine with Sakura having his number but considering after the fiasco with Karin, Sasuke had hoped that Naruto would at least still do the proper etiquette of asking for permission first.

Another buzz from his phone and it was a reply from Sakura.

 _Sounds good :)_

Just a short reply followed by a smiley. He smiled as he perched his head down on one hand against his pillow. Raising the phone above his face, he stared at the blue text message box some more. It buzzed again in his hand and he could see the message pop up on the top from Naruto.

 _Sasuke! Answer me! You're not mad, are you?!_

He chuckled as he tossed his phone to the side. He would answer Naruto later. It was cruel to let Naruto suffer in thinking he was mad at him but Sasuke never did get to exact his revenge on Naruto for the Karin-fiasco. Closing his eyes, he smiled as he felt the sudden excitement bubbling beneath the surface of his beating heart. And it wasn't for the final exam tomorrow. Not at all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Wallet**  
by Diana-san

* * *

Sakura was nervous. She had tried to play it cool when she texted him about getting coffee and then even tried to sound nonchalant when he asked her out for dinner. Truth was, she was beyond ecstatic to see his reply in asking her to meet up for dinner instead of coffee. That meant something right? That he wasn't overly freaked out by her bold move in approaching him?

Actually, it was a surprising move on her part as well. She never expected that she, herself, would do something like this. Guys had approached her often enough and it had gotten tiring to the point that she had lost interest in the dating scene. Men just seem like giant neanderthals to her and she had tried to maintain a relatively low profile in just focusing on her studies and ignoring all love calls.

So why was she suddenly so interested in this guy? Especially a guy who carried a picture of her around. She should be running as far as she can from this guy but here she was, running straight towards him with open arms. He was handsome, that's for sure. He was tall with model-like features and a quiet demeanor. Frankly put, he was certainly her ideal type.

So maybe that was why her heart was beating like a pounding drum as she approached the coffee shop where they were supposed to meet up. She didn't have time to change or even fancy herself up as she headed there straight from her exam. The best she could do was head to a nearby convenience store and buy a pack of mints for her coffee breath. Running her fingers through her pink hair, she tried to fix up any tangles as she smoothed out the bottom of her shirt with her other hand.

With a deep breath, she pushed open the door to the coffee shop and immediately, her eyes spotted him. Sasuke was seated in the same place she was sitting at last night and she immediately felt the rush of embarrassment from recalling last night's events with him finding out she had snooped through his wallet. He glanced up as she walked up to the table and for a moment there, they just stood in silence as they stared at each other in awkwardness.

"Um, hi," she said, finally breaking the ice.

"Hello. How was your last exam?" he asked with a pleasant smile.

"It went fine. The last part was a little tricky but I managed to finish in time," she replied.

Sasuke nodded as he stood up and gestured towards the door. "Shall we?" he asked her. She nodded as she followed him out of the coffee shop. They didn't walk far as the downtown area was small so all the shops and restaurants were compacted in one area. He had chosen a local Italian restaurant and when they went in, he gave his name and they were brought to a small table in the corner.

She didn't know what to say to him but there was one thing nagging at the back of her mind the whole time she was walking next to him.

"Um…" she began. He glanced up from the cloth napkin he was unfolding.

"Something was still on my mind from last night. You told me how you got my photo but… you never told me why you kept it for this long. You even trimmed it down from the original 4 by 6 to wallet-size," she added the last part quickly.

He gazed at her with a knowing smile as he placed the napkin down on his lap. "My brother saw your picture that day I found it. He teased me about it and said he wanted to meet you. We even made a stupid bet on it."

"A bet?"

Sasuke glanced away. "Nothing. It's stupid."

Before she could press on for more details, the waiter came to take their order. The rest of the evening continued on with pleasant small talk about school and their plans for winter break. He didn't ask her many questions and she did the same although there were a million questions running through her mind. She really wanted to know what the bet was but somehow, she couldn't bring herself to ask. It was like every time she thought to bring it up, her mouth clamps up and her hands start to sweat in her lap.

Honestly, she was scared to know. Knowing what the bet was, knowing his real thoughts about her, she was scared to find out the truth. What if he didn't think anything of her? Sakura didn't want the magic of that night to break.

When the meal came to an end, he paid and the two of them left the restaurant. "Are you going home tomorrow night?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "I'll make the drive tonight. I miss my family."

Sakura could feel her heart drop slightly as disappointment washed over her. She had planned to leave tomorrow night and was hoping there would be a reason to see him again tomorrow morning. "Oh," she could only say in response. "Have a safe drive."

He smiled. "You too. I had a fun night."

She nodded but inside she felt like this was the last of it. There was no more reason to see him again. He had given her the "reward" she asked for in returning his wallet. "Good night," she said simply as she turned away to head home.

"Wait!" he called out to her. Sakura turned her head slightly as her eyes glanced at him in curiosity and anticipation. He seemed to have something more to say but he didn't as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "N-nothing. Good night…Sakura."

* * *

Finals were finally over for everyone and many of the students have left the school campus to go home for the winter break. Sakura was excited to be back home in the small town of Konoha. She had big plans to do completely nothing over break and just relax and enjoy the upcoming holidays with her family. Maybe it would take her mind off of Sasuke.

"Sakura, can you run to the market and pick up some carrots and tomatoes for tonight's dinner?" her mother called out to her from the kitchen as Sakura saw her mother's head peek out.

She nodded as she grabbed her house keys and went out the door. Her parents were having friends over so had decided to cook up a huge dinner for tonight. Sakura was glad that her parents had made friends so quickly, especially in a new town. They had previously lived near the border of the country but moved around three years ago when her father got transferred over to a new job just as she was about to start college.

* * *

"Raspberries, blackberries, and…" Itachi read off the shopping list.

"Tomatoes," Sasuke said as he stopped the shopping cart in front of the tomato section.

"No, there are no tomatoes on the list," Itachi said as he glanced down at the list again.

"Mother probably just forgot to write it down," Sasuke responded as he began to pick up a few tomatoes to drop them inside a plastic bag.

"She didn't but I guess we can grab some for your gluttonous self," Itachi remarked with a grin.

Sasuke glared at his brother as he proceeded to add in three more tomatoes to the bag for that snide comment.

Itachi glanced away from the shopping cart as something else caught his eye instead. "Oh," he uttered as he smiled. "Well, if it isn't your girlfriend, Sasuke-kun."

"What? I don't have one," Sasuke muttered as he turned to glance at the direction Itachi was staring at.

Besides them was a familiar pink-haired girl picking out carrots. Sasuke nearly dropped the bag of tomatoes he was holding as he gaped at her. "S-Sakura?!" he croaked out.

At the sound of her name, Sakura turned around in surprise as she stared back at Sasuke. "Sasuke?"

"And I'm Itachi, Sasuke's older and more handsome brother," Itachi introduced himself as he held out a hand towards Sakura. She took it and shook it, much to Sasuke's displeasure.

"Okay, we have to continue shopping. Mother needs the ingredients for her pie," Sasuke said quickly as he pulled on Itachi's hand to hand him the bag of tomatoes to hold and effectively removing Itachi's hand from Sakura's. Itachi only smirked at the obvious attempt to part him from the girl.

"You should join us for dinner!" Itachi offered.

"We can't, we're going out tonight!" Sasuke quickly said. There was no way he was going to give his family a chance to embarrass him in front of Sakura.

"Ah, it's fine. My family has guests over tonight for dinner so I have to get home after this trip," Sakura said with a smile.

"Oh, groceries for dinner? Do you live around here?" Itachi asked.

Sakura nodded and Itachi smiled as he winked at Sasuke. "It's strange because I have never seen you at the supermarket before and we come here often to get groceries. Surely, we would have run into each other once or twice."

"Oh, well my family just moved to this area. Maybe you might have run into my mother. I was away at school so this is only the second time I've been in this store."

Sasuke pulled at the back of Itachi's shirt. "We should head home soon with the ingredients," Sasuke mumbled. He didn't want to stay in that store any longer. The awkwardness was already setting in and he could feel it and he know Sakura could feel it as well. After the way they left each other that night at dinner, things felt somehow unresolved between the two of them.

"We'll see you around, Sakura-san," Itachi waved cheerfully. "Enjoy your holidays."

"You too," she echoed back as her eyes avoided Sasuke's.

* * *

Sakura hummed as she got out the nice silverware for tonight's dinner. "How many people will be coming over, mom?"

"Set out four extra! Or was it three? Make it four just in case!" her mother shouted from the kitchen.

Four it was as she laid out seven place settings on the table. The doorbell rang and she could hear her mother let out a frantic yelp in the kitchen. "I'll get it," Sakura shouted into the kitchen, although she was sure her mother wasn't even listening. She walked to the front door and peeked through the peephole. It was a lady with beautiful dark long hair.

Sakura opened the door as she welcomed her parents' guests to her home. "Welcome to the Haruno residence."

"Oh, you must be Sakura!" the lady exclaimed as she held up a pie in her hand. "Sasuke, Itachi, bring the watermelon!"

Sakura froze as she saw Sasuke walk up the steps to her house. He stopped in surprise too as he stared at her. The watermelon in his hands almost fell as his hands wobbled underneath the weight but he caught it in time as he hugged it close. "Sakura…" he whispered.

* * *

Dinner was filled with laughter and talk as the parents all had drinks. Itachi continued to pour for everyone and even took a few sips himself. Sasuke and Sakura abstained from the alcohol as they both sipped at their water, making eye contact only once or twice.

After dinner was dessert and apparently more drinks as they all reconvened to the living room. Sasuke and Sakura stayed behind to clean up and it was quiet with the exception of the occasional clink of glasses or silverware being picked up.

They carried the dishes into the kitchen as Sakura began to run the sink with water and soap. "You can just leave these here. I'll do them. You can go eat dessert with your family."

"No, I'll help you."

"Sasuke… we know you don't want to be here. So just go," she said softly, her back turned to him so that he couldn't see or read her face.

He placed a stack of dishes down on the counter as he stood next to her. "Who said I didn't want to be here?"

"No one. Your body language makes it quite clear. You didn't really want to do the dinner with me but I made you. You didn't want to stay and talk in the grocery store when we ran into each other. And you definitely did not want to eat dinner when you realized that the place you were going to was my house. And now, you just want to get your parents out of here as fast as you could so you can go home and forget you ever met me."

Sasuke dropped a plastic bowl into the sink as it made a loud clank against the bottom of the sink. "You're wrong. About everything," he said softly.

She said nothing as she silently scrubbed at a plate in her hand. She was sure she was scrubbing at the same spot over and over but she didn't want to do any other action than scrub. She was sure if she broke her concentration of washing that one plate, she would lose it and break down and cry in front of him.

His hand reached over to grab onto her wrist but she ignored it as she continued scrubbing. He then took her sponge and she began to use her hand. "Stop, Sakura," he commanded. She did. "Sorry," she whispered with her head still down.

She could hear him sigh and she sighed along with him. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I knew winter break was coming up and I didn't want to start anything with us being apart for two weeks. But I couldn't imagine that we would be living in the same town."

Sakura glanced up at him in surprise. "Start something?"

He turned to smile at her. "I.. I like you. A lot. I wanted to leave the grocery store not because I didn't want to talk to you, but because I was scared my brother would say something stupid and embarrass me in front of you. I didn't even tell you how I felt yet and I certainly didn't want my parents or brother to be the one to tell you for me."

"Your parents know about me?" she squeaked.

"Well, they probably don't remember you. They saw the picture I had of you but they didn't mention anything at dinner so I guess they forgot. My brother somehow remembers after seeing it just once like two years ago."

Sakura doesn't say anything as her heart beats quickly against her chest. He reached for the back of his pants pocket as he pulled out his wallet. As Sasuke opens it, she sees that her picture was placed in the front in a transparent picture sleeve. No longer were the photographs hidden in the inner pockets of the wallet. He smiled nervously as he caught her looking.

"I was hoping… that instead of having just a random girl's photo in my wallet… I could tell people that the girl in the photo… is my girlfriend."

Sakura's heart feels lighter than ever as she turned back to the sink and picked up a bowl. Her cheeks flush a slight pink as she begins to scrub at the bowl. She knows she should say something as he was expecting her to. It was silent for a few seconds as he waited patiently for a response other than her incessant need to wash dishes at this time.

She took her hands away from the sink as she wiped it clean against the kitchen towel hanging next to her. She took out her phone from her back pocket as she pressed a bunch of buttons before showing it to Sasuke. "If you do that, then I'll have to tell everyone that my wallpaper is my boyfriend," she said softly.

Sasuke chuckled as he sees that Sakura had indeed just change the wallpaper of her phone to the picture that she took of him at the coffee shop.

"Deal."

The phone buzzed in her hand and she is surprised by the sudden vibration. Sasuke peers at her phone. "You got a text from Naruto," he remarked. "Sakura-chan, can you ask Sasuke if he's mad at me," he read.

Sakura pulled the phone back as she read the text. "Are you mad at Naruto?" she asked.

He smiled as he held her hand in his. "No. In fact, I think I have to thank him profusely for giving away my number to you."

She giggled as the two of them stood in the kitchen with their hands both holding each other. Unbeknownst to the two, five pairs of watchful eyes peeked through the doorway of the kitchen.

"Will you look at that?" Mikoto whispered with a smile. Mebuki laughed. "I guess our children became good friends as well," she responded back.

Itachi grinned. "Oh, it looks a lot more than _just_ friends, I say."


End file.
